The SAT includes an optional 25-minute essay section that requires students to read a passage and explain how the author builds an argument. While the multiple choice sections of the SAT are scored by machine, the essays are read and graded by actual human readers. This means it takes additional time after the test date for those scores to be evaluated and reported to students.
The basic timeline for SAT essay score release is as follows:
The SAT is typically offered in October, November, December, March, May, and June. For most of these test dates, scores will be available online and sent to indicated colleges approximately 3-4 weeks after the test.
Because the essay section involves human grading, those scores may take 1-2 additional weeks to be available beyond the other section scores. So students can generally expect their full SAT scores, including the essay score if taken, 4-6 weeks after the test date.
For example, for the October test date the multiple choice section scores would be available in mid-November but the essay score may not be reported until late November or early December.
There are no makeup test dates available just for the essay section – students must retake the entire SAT if they want to improve their essay score after the initial test date.
The grading and scoring process for the SAT essay involves several steps:
Each essay is read by two trained readers who assign separate scores on a 1-4 scale for three different dimensions: reading, analysis, and writing.
The two individual readers’ scores are then combined for a total score in each dimension that ranges from 2-8 points.
The overall SAT Essay score reported to students is the sum of those three dimension scores, ranging from 6-24 points. So an essay that earned a 6 from each reader would receive a total score of 18.
If the two readers’ scores for any dimension differ by more than one point, a third “adjudicator” reader will also grade that dimension to determine the final score. This ensures reliable and consistent scoring across all essays.
As essays are graded, scores are entered into the College Board systems daily. But it still takes time to grade each essay, reconcile any differences between readers, and finally release the scores to students online or on score reports.
Security procedures are also in place to avoid identity or quality issues that could compromise the validity or fairness of the scoring process.
Some key factors that contribute to the additional processing time for SAT essay scores include:
Volume of essays – With hundreds of thousands of students taking the SAT each administration globally, the sheer volume of hand-graded essays means processing takes time even when readers work continually.
Recruiting and training readers – Finding, qualifying, and thoroughly training examiners to reliably score essays to national standards is an involved process that ramps up in the weeks before each test date.
Logistics of distribution – Organizing the shipment of physical essays to various national and international scoring locations, managing the workflow between readers and quality control checks, computing final scores all adds complexity.
accuracy and fairness – While machine scoring is very fast, human grading helps ensure no biases consciously or unconsciously factor in, scores are carefully reconciled when needed to remove subjectivity as much as possible. This oversight prioritizes a valid measure of each student’s work over speed alone.
Students should expect SAT essay scores to require an additional 1-2 weeks of processing time after the other section scores release due to the hand-scoring methodology. Careful and consistent human evaluation helps ensure the essay measures critical thinking and writing skills in a reliable manner, though it comes at the expense of quicker turnaround. Proper planning allows time for scores, including the essay, to reach students or colleges within a reasonable timeframe.